Religion of the Covenant
The Covenant of Triskaia refers to both the nation and the religion. Faith is inexorably bound into the fabric of everyday life. Also see: Witch-Priest The Coven Rather than having a central god figure, Triskaian religion worships the Coven. This was a collection of three Witches – Bellatrix, Belladonna, and Beleza – who lived 600 years ago. It's impossible to determine what stories about them are history and what are myth. That they were mutilated and tortured by the warlord Zugo before eventually returning with his bones is verifiably historical, while the tale of Belladonna growing to enormous size and making love to a Titan is almost certainly myth. Most stories fall somewhere in between. Whoever the Witches were in life, in death they have become the Eternal Coven. Their spirits are invoked on a daily basis, asking for blessings and guidance. Through certain religious rituals, Triskaians can commune with the Witches directly, if only for an exceedingly brief period of time. Magic is an essential part of Triskaian life. Although very few of them can actually use magic, they have all experienced its effects and hold great respect for the mystical elements. There are nine elements that are divided among the three witches as so: Bellatrix - Rock, Wind, Ice Belladonna - Wood, Iron, Water Beleza - Shadow, Fire, Blood The elements are placed in roughly that order. Blood is considered the strongest and most important element, which explains the people's obsession with it. Each child is born to the sign of a particular element, according to the phases of the moon and the manner of the birth. While the witches are often invoked together, they may be called upon separately. Bellatrix might be prayed to during a harsh winter, while Belladonna is usually invoked at times of war. Thunderstorms are of particular significance to the Covenant, because they represent a dance of the three witches, bringing together an element of each (wind, water, and shadow). For this reason lightning is considered the ultimate power, one which the Witch-Priests have sought to harness for centuries. Tenets The basic tenets of the Faith are pretty simple. Preserve the Natural Order. Give back to Solos when you have taken from her. This describes Triskaian economic principles well. Lumber harvesting is essential to their economy, but tree-planting is a sacred calling. Fishing is also fundamental, but there are certain parts of the lake marked as sacred spawning grounds where fishing boats are forbidden to go. Turn none from the Faith, for all were born beneath the Elements. Triskaian hospitality is welcoming, and their evangelizing does not pass any judgement on potential converts. Our bodies were gifts to us. Enjoy them before it is time to leave them behind. This tenet underpins the wild sexual abandon that governs much of the religious activity. Truth comes from meditation. The mind must be kept clear. Meditation and introspection is essential to their understanding of the world. This tenet also establishes why they prefer partaking of hallucinogenic mushrooms, for their perceived mind-opening effects, and eschew alcohol, which they perceive as mind-numbing. Blood is the source of life and power. Sharing in it brings glory to the Covenant. This is the tenet most outsiders have the hardest time accepting. Sharing, ingesting, and bathing in blood is an essential expression of Faith. Ritual and Hematophagy Perhaps the most unsettling thing about Triskaia to outsiders is the obsession with blood. Blood is consumed as a matter of course. In their closest equivalent to marriage ceremonies, the two partners drink of each other's blood. During holy festivals, celebrants all contribute blood and share it amongst themselves. When a person dies, their body is exsanguinated and the blood is shared by the mourners. Heart and liver of the deceased are also ritually consumed. This follows a strict order. First portion is given to the attending priest (for notable deaths, a Witch-Priest herself may preside, but in most cases it will be a Dagger-Priest or Pendant-Priest who serves the locale), the second portion to the departed person's closest lover, the third portion to close family, and the remainder to everyone else. The other important component of ritual is consumption of the “dream cap”. This is a mushroom that grows in Dunwick Forest which provides the most spectacular visions when eaten. It is strictly regulated and only intended for consumption during holy festivals, to allow for deeper communion with the Eternal Coven. The mushrooms are usually consumed in conjunction with the drinking of blood. Eating a dream cap outside of religious ritual is a serious offense and is punishable by five years enslavement. The other, darker aspect of the Covenant is human sacrifice. Sacrifices are selected at birth. A newborn found to be tri-crossed (bordering three different elements) is usually destined for sacrifice. These children are raised inside the walls of the holy palace, being carefully attended, until their eventual sacrifice at age 17. The victims grow up knowing exactly what their destiny is and they approach it without fear. Half the blood from the sacrifice flows into a relief of the three witches. The other half is consumed by the Witch-Priests. The sacrifices occur during the yearly festival of Edremas. A year with no sacrifice spells terrible misfortune to come. Heresy In Triskaia, as you all know, faith and government are one in the same. So it stands for their laws. Any violation of law in Triskaia is considered a form of heresy. Heresy may extend to either crimes of the body or crimes of the soul. Wrongs committed against one another are still considered heresy for all people of Triskaia are bound to the Covenant. The Draca have many hundreds of books that outline intricate details of many complex matters of spiritual law, but here I will just outline the major points for you. Heresies are divided into categories, with according punishments. Minor Heresies (1-2 years indentured servitude) Theft of less than six months wages (rather than having a threshold based on an absolute amount, it is based on the wealth of the victim) Minor defilement of blood (such as spilling blood on the ground for no purpose) Consumption of alcohol or other mind-altering substances, apart from those borne naturally by Triskaia (ie. mushrooms) Failure to observe a festival (if one is unable to attend the major festival, they must at least make an offering to their local Pendant-Priest beforehand) Undue interruption of ecstatic entanglement Major Heresies (up to 5 years indentured servitude) Theft of more than 6 months wages Major defilement of blood (such as mixing human and animal blood) Engaging in misaligned ecstasy (consent is typically easy to find in the Covenant, but on the rare occasions it's not, the law does not look kindly on it) Making false claim to an earthly rank (posing as a member of a secular authority, such as a Sheriff or a Burgher) Holding a citizen of the Covenant in bondage for less than a year Indulging in dream cap mushroom outside of designated time Open disrespect to a member of the Wyrding Clergy Worthy murder (ie. killing someone has has committed a heresy that would result in execution) Egregious Heresies (death by burning) Murder Egregious defilement of blood (such as substituting human blood for a potion ingredient, or engaging in blood rites with a child under 13) Engaging in misaligned ecstasy with a child under 13 (this will encompass any ecstatic entanglement with a child under 13 if the perpetrator is older than 17) Harvesting/selling dream cap without permission Holding a citizen of the Covenant in bondage for more than one year False claim to a celestial ranking (pretending to be a member of a caste which is decided by birthright, such as a Gauntlet-Priest or a Valkyrha) Open disrespect to a Witch-Priest Intent to betray the secrets of the Covenant Mortal Heresy (immediate exsanguination) Making physical contact with a Witch-Priest Sentences Indentured servitude is usually carried out in the form of forced labor, in the quarries or lumber camps, or on major construction projects. The convicted may also be put to work in service of their victims. Those who show the most penitence and remorse are put to work in service of the church itself. Execution is always performed the same way. Those who have committed Egregious Heresy are remanded to the prison beneath the holy palace until the festival of Blysamas, when they are taken above to be burned at the stake. This method of execution is essential because a heretic's blood may not be spilled on Triskaian soil, for it is tainted. All crimes are dealt with in this matter. There are no prisons, other than the one beneath the holy palace that is vacated every year. Crime in general is quite low throughout the Covenant. Religious Festivals The Covenant of Triskaia is steeped in ritual. Yet this doesn't express itself in daily or weekly sermons as may be carried out by other religions. Citizens maintain shrines in their own homes, and express devotion throughout their daily lives in small ways, always remaining mindful of the Coven watching over them. Pendant-Priests of small communities will organize mass for their congregants, but this does not follow a regular schedule. Births and deaths are considered communal affairs and will call for a large service. Other services will be had on whim or divination. The masses themselves don't follow strict patterns of chanting and rote action. They revolve around meditation and achieving an ecstatic connection to the Witch's magic. Attendees are encouraged to act out as their instincts bid them. Blood is often shared. Public displays of carnality are also common. Violent expression is rare, but some deaths have occurred. Masses are held in the open air during most of the year, only retreating inside during winter. Thunderstorms are good fortune to have during service, and a mass may be hastily organized when a storm approaches. There are, however, the ten holy festivals, which are much more strict in the observance. Nine festivals occur throughout the year, each representing one of the wyrding elements. Witch-Priests spread throughout the country for these occasions, marking festival locations that citizens will then make pilgrimages to. These festivals get very large, especially in the cities. Each festival involves indulging in the dream cap mushroom and engaging in rapturous meditation, following the same patterns as local masses but on a much larger scale. Lomadmas (Rock) This happens in late fall, when the quarry in the Belcanus mountains closes down. This festival involves a celebration of stonecutters and builders. Participants cover themselves in chalk dust and mark out a spiral pathway through which they carry heavy stones. In the centre is a collection of food from the harvest, placed in a whole and anointed with blood. Stones are piled on top, and it is left as an offering to Bellatrix for safe passage through winter. Nyormas (Wind) This occurs in the early stages of winter, when the first snow storms blow. This festival is partly dedicated to sailors. Red kites anointed with blood are released into the gale as an offering. Frigamas (Ice) This is celebrated in the darkest throes of winter, largely as a plea for the season to end. These are much cozier affairs, because they must be held inside, either in the grand city temples or rustic country churches. Roaring fires are lit and participants bathe together in hot water. The temple at the Elmyr hot springs are the most popular pilgrimage site for this festival (for those who can survive the trip). Sexual fervour is higher at Frigamas than most other festivals (driven by desire for warmth), and the event typically culminates in an extravagant orgy. One women is selected to stand as the representative of Bellatrix and is placed in the centre of festivities; she must achieve 13 orgasms by festival's end, as an offering to the Witch. Okkamas (Wood) This is held during the spring thaw, to call the buds to return to the trees. It is partly dedicated to woodworkers. This is the only festival that is never held in a city. 13 masses are organized around the 13 Wyrwoods scattered throughout Dunwick Forest. These are colossal, twisted trees that are rumoured to have existed since before the Purge. Participants cover themselves in mud and engage in rapturous dance through the forest, finally anointing the treebark with blood as an offering to Belladonna. Issenmas (Iron) This is held in mid spring. This is one of the rare outright celebrations of martial strength. It is also the first festival to occur after the annual Climb, when a select group of Triskaians summit the back of a Titan to gather magical resources. Arena combat is held for entertainment, usually pitting a Valkyrha against five or six ordinary challengers. The Laekae also brew special potions from the newly harvested ingredients as an offering to Belladonna, who, as legend has it, once made a potion that allowed her to grow to enormous size and make love to a Titan. Myrmas (Water) This happens in midsummer and is dedicated partly to farmers. It is held near major bodies of water and begins with participants ritually bathing each other. Mass and meditation is held in the water, resulting in a frenzy of activity. The coast of Lake Wyrmark is so filled with people that tradeships are blocked until the festival concludes. Waters by the shore are left tinted red for days with blood offerings to Belladonna. Blysamas (Fire) This takes place in high summer, the typical season for having forest fires somewhere in Dunwick Forest. This is the dance of torches, where people engage in frenetic dancing around large braziers and pyres. Other stunts like fire-spitting, torch juggling, leaping through rings of fire, and walking over coals are performed. The primary focus of this festival, however, is the execution of those who have been sentenced by the Draca to die for heresy. At the height of the festival, the heretics are strangled and have their bodies set aflame. Heretic blood is tainted, and it is crucial that not a drop be spilled during the ceremony. Some heretics have managed to slit their own wrists as an act of defiance, and this spells a grave omen for the year to come. Nocturnmas (Shadow) This occurs in the beginning of harvest season. This festival has its origins before the Covenant, when the ancient forest people were pursued by ravenous demons. It gives thanks to Beleza for sealing the monsters in the catacombs. People craft masks of monstrous designs and wear them around, behaving in a wild and crazed manner. This is meant to appease the demonic energies that give the Coven its power, and prevent the monsters from returning. But there are still some monsters who walk the forested countryside. Nocturnmas is the time when Triskaians must be most wary of the Shadow People, who stalk silently through the woods, constricting lone travellers with their tendrilous limbs. In the morning following Nocturnmas, people mark their masks with blood and bury them somewhere dark, hoping no shadows catch them when they do. Edremas (Blood) This is held at the end of harvest, which is also the end of the Triskaian calendar year. This is the most important festival of the year, because this is when the sacrifices are made. Those tri-crossed children who were destined to give their blood, and have been raised to age 17, are put to the blade. First, there is a large party in their honour, where they are encouraged to consume dream cap and exhaust themselves sexually. It is of crucial importance that the sacrifice does not feel fear at the time of death. After they have been exsanguinated, bodies of the sacrificed are carefully wrapped up and floated out into Lake Wyrmark. The blood is first poured over an altar to the Three Witches, then a shrine specifically to Beleza, then is shared among the Witch-Priests. After that, blood is shared with all participants, which may only be a single drop per person, depending on the number of sacrifices (usually ranges from 2 to 6). On the rare occasion there is no sacrifice, this is an ill omen and the whole festival is quite muted. Following the official sacrifice, all festival participants contribute blood into a pool in the centre of the temple. It is a mark of prestige to offer the most blood, and usually at least one person dies as a result of this competition. Once everyone has contributed to the pool, the rest of the festival erupts into a wild celebration of bathing and showering in blood. Belumas The final festival is Belumas, which happens once every three years, always at a different time according to lunar cycles. This is unique because it's the only festival that is held solely in the capital Belwraith. There are no smaller services anywhere, because all priests are called back to the holy palace. If you can't make the pilgrimage to the Ecstatic Temple, you don't participate at all. If you do make it to Belwraith, then what follows is three days of near-constant sexual frenzy. All commerce in the capital is shut down because everyone is wrapped up in the primal, orgiastic celebration. The bacchanalia is suspended twice, at the first and second sunset. The first time everyone gathers to witness the selection of new candidates for Witch-Priest and Draca. Candidates cannot still be virgins at the time of selection, so another ritual may be required. Also, this is the only festival where participants do not give their own blood as offering. There is another important blood ritual that happens at the second sunset. The Wyrding Ecstasy is a ritual where the Witch-Priests gather onstage and are accompanied each by one man pre-selected from somewhere in the country. One by one, the Witch-Priests engage the men in sex on the altar, often floating into the air; then, at the moment of climax, the man's throat is cut, and the Witch-Priest bathes and drinks in his blood while she is taken by orgasm. There is never a shortage of willing participants for this ritual. Even though it means death, the chance to embrace a Witch-Priest is usually too tantalizing.